Russian police detained a German citizen on Monday, suspected of donating 900 rubles, roughly 10 dollars, to the Anti-Corruption Fund of the late Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. According to a statement from the Russian Interior Ministry, the German citizen was detained in the city of Saint Petersburg.
The statement asserts that the detained individual allegedly transferred money to an extremist organization, referring to Navalny’s fund, thus labeled since 2021, reports EFE agency, quoted by Agerpres.
According to the Fontanka.ru website, the German citizen is the co-founder of a gym in Saint Petersburg, and before coming to work in Russia, he was a professional cyclist in Germany, where he also worked as a coach. According to some Russian Telegram channels, it is said to be a Russian with German citizenship, who has been living in Russia for ten years.
The independent publication Mediazona reveals that in Russia, over 220 criminal cases have been opened for donations made to Navalny’s Fund after the organization, through which the opposition leader denounced corruption in high power circles, was banned. Last week, a 58-year-old philosopher was arrested in Saint Petersburg, accused of sending money to Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Fund, who passed away in 2024 in a prison near the Arctic Circle.